North Community

Learn more about CBC North's Indigenous Language Archive

Take a peek under the hood of one of CBC North’s most ambitious projects.

Take a peek under the hood of one of CBC North’s most ambitious projects

Set on the North coast of Canada at night the words Indigenous Language Archive hover above sea ice and below an aurora.
(CBC)

What is the Indigenous Language Archive?

The Indigenous Language Archive (ILA) is a collection of recorded Indigenous languages used in CBC programming for the past 70 years.

Within the project are 10 Indigenous languages from across the North featuring countless hours of audio: 

  • 3,258 files in Chipewyan

  • 9,436 files in East Cree

  • 3,681 files in Gwich'in

  • 3,237 files in Inuvialuktun

  • 32,576 files in Inuktitut

  • 41 files in Inuinnaqtun

  • 3,742 files in North Dene

  • 253 files in Oji-Cree

  • 4,155 files in South Dene

  • 4,315 files in Tłı̨chǫ

These audio files are pulled directly from the CBC shows that were airing at the time, with the earliest recording from the show Sinnaksautit that aired Oct. 21, 1957.

Where can I find these recordings?

If you want to listen to some of the recordings yourself, click here.